Walk-In-Wednesday considered a success, but more doses needed in Interior Health

The British Columbia government is considering the Walk-In-Wednesday campaign a success after administering 16,505 COVID-19 vaccines to walk-in patients across the province on August 4.

Those shots made up nearly half of the 33,277 jabs administered in B.C. on Wednesday.

Of the walk-in shots, Minister of Health Adrian Dix said 37.6 per cent, or 6,130 of them, were first doses.

“This combined with the first doses that were done by appointment made it one of the most significant days since before Canada Day,” said Dix.

He also said more than 80 per cent of the shots set aside for walk-in patients were administered Wednesday.

Interior Health had more walk-in jabs administered than it did for scheduled appointments.

B.C.’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Bonnie Henry, said plans are in the works to incentivize more people to get their shots in the coming weeks before schools go back in session.

Henry said it’s also important to get people in the interior to get their doses, as it’s currently a hot spot with a majority of the province’s COVID-19 cases located in that region.

“This virus is not gone, and we’ve seen this with the increase in cases in the past few days and weeks, particularly in the Central Okanagan, where we see again that this virus can take off easily in people who are not protected,” said Henry.

The province’s top doctor said it’s mostly young people who are unvaccinated, many of who have not yet had the opportunity.

“But now is your chance, particularly as we head back to school and back to university. Come September, it’s going to be more and more important for all of us to be protected so that we can manage this pandemic and move on with our lives,” Henry remarked.

Dix also urged people in the Interior Health region to get their shots, pointing to the extended operations at the Kelowna Yacht Club walk-in clinic as a site offering vaccines.

The province has now administered first doses to 82.6 per cent of adult British Columbians, and 70.6 per cent have received both doses.

For those over the age of 12, 81.7 per cent of British Columbians have received their first jab, while 68.4 per cent of the eligible population are fully inoculated with both doses.

Dix urges anyone not fully vaccinated yet to register for the shot through the government’s website.